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Topic Review (Newest First)

02-18-2014 01:34 PM

Lauri & The Gang

Quote:

Originally Posted by lhczth

My dogs also eat field mice, occasional bunny they catch, animal poop (talk about a direct source for salmonella and e-coli).

Back when we had chickens I used to refer to them as the dogs' Pez Dispensers. The dogs would follow the chooks around the field, waiting for them to tip up their rear end to poop so they could dash in and slurp it up!!

Talk about Salmonella exposure!!!

They did this day in and day out, for several years and never got sick!

02-18-2014 01:14 AM

Colie CVT

MRSA, MRSI, MRSE are all normal flora on the skin, on your pets. The issue is if they get involved in a wound somehow, they often cause a lot of trouble. People panic hearing about these due to the few types of antibiotics that you can use against them. They're very strong and only a few things that can get rid of the infection. Which leaves people worried if somehow what few antibiotics that can actually destroy the infection end up getting added into the resistance. It is why you always should do antibiotics properly and to the end. I got some for a suspected tooth abscess on myself a few months ago. Even if it turned out to be just inflammation, I still finished them because I started them. -shrugs-

There is going to be more bacteria in the feces that the dog has, that is a given. There is bacteria on raw foods, on the surfaces of your house, etc. Whether or not it actually is pathogenic is another story. E.Coli is another one of those that can be commonly found in your natural flora. Salmonella is not, but usually their systems are stronger than ours. The big worry honestly about bacteria and raw is the humans handling the stuff on the other end or the stuff beforehand if not using proper techniques. People who do not actually know about raw feeding will usually have the same kind of ideas involved.

And just to say it, it isn't just because vets want to sell you kibble that many of them speak out against raw. It's the same reason that your pet is recommended to be rabies vaccinated and dewormed regularly. They have a part just like human doctors in keeping the general public safe from potential hazards, such as the rabies virus and various parasites that tend to like to crawl under our skin rather than find our intestines as we aren't their normal host species. So just a little food for thought.

02-18-2014 12:43 AM

shilorio

Thank you guys a lot! This really helped me calm down a bunch !

02-17-2014 09:39 PM

Kahrg4

If you're truly worried about bacteria feed the raw frozen. By the time the meat would be warm enough for the bacteria to be active it will have already hit the stomach acid and been annihilated anyways.

Also, MRSA isn't really such a big deal in meat. MRSA is a strain of Staph which usually lives on your skin and typically takes advantage when normal fauna (good bacteria) have been eliminated. So unless your dipping your raw in hand sanitizer first, I wouldn't be too concerned over MRSA.

As for ingesting parasites, the biggest worry for me has always been trichinosis which is typically found in pork. Again, freeze the meat before thawing and the lil buggers die. Or, avoid feeding pork products. Obviously keep up with a normal worming regimen and the typical intestinal parasites become a non-issue.

Hope this helps put your mind at ease.

02-17-2014 09:33 PM

lhczth

15 years, many many dogs, weaned 6 litters to raw. My dogs also eat field mice, occasional bunny they catch, animal poop (talk about a direct source for salmonella and e-coli).

That is what my dogs get every day. The amounts vary based on what each dog needs but the percentages stay the same.

I feed 3-5 different protein sources every week. Chicken, turkey, duck, pork, beef, lamb, fish are the staples around here. I get venison sometimes during hunting season. I also raise rats and my dogs eat those.

Dogs do not need vegetables as part of their diet. It won't hurt to give them some but it's just going to be filler. Unless you preprocess the veggies your dog won't get any nutrients from them.

It wouldn't hurt to add fish BODY oil (not liver oil) to the diet - especially if you aren't feeding much fish.

So for a 70 pound shepherd what would be an idea exact diet?
(Meaning: two chicken legs, one pig heart, ect ect...)

02-17-2014 08:33 PM

Flutter

Unfortunately I don't know the finer details. It would be nice to know them to see if there are any connections. Breeds are all over the place and none have been elderly or young.

02-17-2014 05:40 PM

Sunflowers

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flutter

There are issues with feeding raw. My dog eats raw food. That being said, I work at a vet clinic and we typically have about 2 cases per month of raw fed dogs with severe issues, typically salmonella. When researching raw all I read about was how dogs don't have issues with the meat etc. The vets are telling you bad things because they want to sell you kibble, etc.

Raw does have issues. It can cause problems. It does cause problems. These problems IME aren't all that rare. Dogs do get sick from raw. Feeding raw is so much better for my dog than kibble because of his issues. We've helped other people transition their dogs to raw. You just have to weigh the pros and cons. For us, the risk is worth it I just think it's important that we acknowledge that the risk is there however in the vast majority of cases the benefits outweigh the risks.

I would be interested in knowing what, and how, these people are feeding.
Some internet sites suggest that feeding dogs expired meat is OK. I would be afraid to feed that, because the longer meat lies around, the more the bacteria in it multiply.
Perhaps these people are getting it from not so great sources. Perhaps they are not storing the meat properly. Who knows?

Because there is so much that can vary, it is tough to figure out why some dogs get salmonella or have problems. Would be great to know.

02-17-2014 05:26 PM

Harry and Lola

I have been feeding both raw and kibble forever and have had no issues to e.coli, I do give them a pro-biotic which helps the gut stay healthy.

I used to combine the raw and kibble, now for digestion reasons I separate the 2, give kibble in the morning then about 11 to 12 hours later give only raw (usually bit of muscle meat, organ and a small amount of bone).

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